


April, 1976

by threewalls



Series: Reincarnation drabbles [6]
Category: Yami No Matsuei
Genre: Drabble Sequence, F/M, M/M, Queer Themes, Reincarnation, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-07-05
Updated: 2005-07-05
Packaged: 2017-10-12 21:21:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/129209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/threewalls/pseuds/threewalls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year almost everything goes wrong.</p><p>
  <cite>"It's second-hand," Seiichirou felt obliged to say. There was a renewed warranty, of course, and it was a fairly recent model. "You mentioned you never had the time to learn how to draw," he added, feeling foolish.</cite>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	April, 1976

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to lynndyre, without whom this would have been much worse.

April, 1976

"It's second-hand," Seiichirou felt obliged to say. There was a renewed warranty, of course, and it was a fairly recent model. "You mentioned you never had the time to learn how to draw," he added, feeling foolish.

Yutaka finally looked up from the camera, his face lit with glee and cunning. "It's fantastic," he said and was soon engrossed in the manual.

Seiichirou began preparing dinner, Italian, as was only appropriate.

"I think I've got it," Yutaka called out from behind him. He threw his arms over Seiichirou's shoulders and spun them both round into a disorienting flash of light.

\---

August, 1976

"I've always told Yutaka to find a man who cooks."

"Yutaka cooks," Seiichirou said, discreetly checking the level of the wine. Katherina's offer to help with dinner hadn't progressed beyond opening the bottle.

"Hiro doesn't-- that's women's work. That was one of the problems, you know. Love doesn't actually make it easy to live together. Osaka was supposed to be a clean break, but I still love him twenty, no..."

Seiichirou removed himself the instant he heard the front door open.

Yutaka was inexplicably amused by his mother. "She's a lightweight, Seii. I've only ever seen her drink with family."

\---

October, 1976

Eventually, Seiichirou managed to convey his lack of experience by gesture if not voice; the woman slid off the bed and onto her knees.

With his eyes closed, all Seiichirou felt was a mouth and long hair under his hands. It wasn't unpleasant, but not enough, not quite. Not until there were also cool, wet fingers pressing in from behind--

The woman did not take the hand Seiichirou offered. Seiichirou pulled up his own trousers.

"If you don't tell your father that you didn't fuck me," she said with a bitter smile, "I won't tell him that you prefer boys."

\---

November, 1976

Though Yutaka did not meet Seiichirou's train from Nagasaki, he was waiting at their apartment with a meal already prepared. After three weeks of food cooked to suit his elder sister's children, Yutaka's cooking tasted like home.

After the meal, they'd moved with coffee to the couch. Seiichirou described his family and the wedding, and even made Yutaka laugh when he listed inexpensive amongst the latter's virtues.

"Was there a bachelor party?" Yutaka asked, grinning.

Seiichirou took a deep breath.

"My father took me to see a female friend."

"Okay." Yutaka sat back and pushed the hair from his face.

"He asked me outright if I had ever lain with a woman. I couldn't lie." Seiichirou's father still genuinely believed that he worked too hard to meet women. "He paid for her time."

"And what did you do with her?"

"I couldn't..." Seiichirou made some gesture, and Yutaka nodded. "So she... with her mouth... it wasn't so bad."

"Did your father watch you?"

"No, he waited outside."

"Then why..." Yutaka shook his head and abruptly got off the couch, making quickly for their bedroom.

When Seiichirou knocked, Yutaka only opened the door a fraction.

"Your bedroom is the other one."

\---

December, 1976

Seiichirou had initially thought Yutaka was handing him a mail package, brown paper and packing tape, but there was no address marked. Inside was an antique record player complete with a polished brass horn.

Seiichirou thanked Yutaka sincerely.

"I started building it while you were away," Yutaka shrugged, while fishing through his pockets. He soon handed over a substantial cheque marked 'Rent October-January' on the back.

"I won't get behind again. Goodnight, Tatsumi."

Yutaka was always civil, always calm and always told Tatsumi that apologies were not necessary between friends.

And of course, it went without saying, neither were kisses.

\---

February, 1977

He didn't know what to call what they had done last night, how fast and brutal Yutaka had been, how rough Seiichirou had asked him to be so that he would (and did) feel the effects the following morning. Yutaka had refused to do anything before Seiichirou begged, though once he had started, he told Seiichirou point-blank: shut up. Seiichirou was confused, and yet, passion from Yutaka instead of indifference for the first time in four months seemed an encouraging sign.

"Sleep well?" Katherina asked, smiling over the rim of her mug. "I recognise the sounds my son makes and that isn't what I heard last night!"

Yutaka had let Seiichirou into his bedroom to prevent his mother from discovering their rift, but Seiichirou had apparently forgotten Katherina was visiting too easily once inside.

"I bet he left marks on you, didn't he?" Seiichirou flushed completely red, uncertain how to respond; Katherina started pulling on his collar. "You can trust me, I'm a doctor."

"Of organic chemistry, Mother," Yutaka said loudly from behind them. Katherina let go with embarrassed giggle.

Yutaka handed him a mug of coffee, leaning close enough for Seiichirou to feel Yutaka's breath as he whispered: "Slut."

\---

April, 1977

Seiichirou could hear they were arguing, but in Dutch, so he didn't understand. He hoped it wasn't about him; things had been better lately. He and Yutaka were still 'friends,' but friends with genuine affection for one another. No kisses, but Yutaka laughed at his jokes again.

"I want you out of here. Now."

Suddenly, the door to Yutaka's bedroom swung open and Yutaka exited, dragging his mother by a firm grip on her arm. Seiichirou followed them to the door, where Katherina's luggage was still stacked. They'd been arguing since soon after she arrived.

"Go stay with Otou-san. He's thirty minutes by subway. I'll even give you fare."

"I'm sure I can find a hotel. I'm sorry if I've caused any trouble," Katherina said, glancing at Seiichirou. Yutaka coughed unkindly into his palm.

"Surely nothing is serious enough to merit driving your mother out into the night?" Seiichirou asked.

"Oh, no, nothing at all. She thinks I should break up with you, but, ungrateful son that I am, I stopped to argue with her."

Seiichirou couldn't reply to the contempt in Yutaka's eyes.

"I don't know why I bothered," Yutaka said, opening the door, and then he was gone.

MC  
05/07/05


End file.
